Minds on.

Shyann is one of many currently in the job market who are searching for work that will not only meet her needs but will also be personally meaningful and fulfilling. She has undertaken many of the same types of initiatives you have – discovering more about herself and her careers interests, researching potential careers, postsecondary requirements, and the labour market, obtaining funding and acquiring additional education and training, taking advantage of community supports, establishing and broadening her network, seeking both advertised and unadvertised opportunities, developing her résumé, cover letter, and interview skills, and applying for available positions. Though she hasn’t yet secured a position she truly wants, her efforts have not gone unrewarded since she has gained some valuable experiences, skills, and knowledge, made a number of important connections, and uncovered a number of potential opportunities.

Shyann has a lot to offer, as is reflected in her polished résumé and strong interviews. She has been so close but has not yet been able to ‘close the deal.’

Think About It: Beyond the Résumé

What advice do you have Shyann?

What else might she do to get herself acclaimed the successful applicant?

On paper, and in her interview answers, it is evident that she is an extremely worthy candidate. To date, however, this has not quite been enough.

How can Shyann demonstrate that she has what it takes -  that she possesses the experience and skills that will benefit her potential employers?

Action.

Learn About It: Career Portfolios

56% of all hiring managers are more impressed by a candidate’s personal website than any other personal branding tool—however, only 7% of job seekers actually have a personal website.

By the end of this culminating task, you will have become one of the small percentage of people identified above who have a personal website. Get ready to gain yet another advantage in the competitive job market and to impress your current or future employers.

Take a few moments to consider: how often do you take time to:

Throughout this course, you completed numerous tasks that challenged you to do the above - that is to create artifacts and add them to your career portfolio. While each of these items - individually and collectively - have been beneficial in discovering who you are, your opportunities, career aspirations, and how to get there, it is hoped that this is just the start of a living, dynamic, and comprehensive tool that you will continue to build on and refine as you move through your future. Your portfolio will likely be one of your most valuable assets, supporting you as you continue the journey toward discovering who you are, including your opportunities, aspirations, and your plan to get there.

This is an image taken from behind an interviewer, showing an interviewee dressed in business attire. The interviewer looks on while the interviewee attempts to speak convincingly through pronounced facial expression and hand gestures. He does not have a portfolio or any artifacts to provide evidence his claims.

The old writing rule rings especially true here: show, don’t tell. Your résumé claims you do amazing work while your online portfolio shows that you can back it up. In a sense, your portfolio is the proof.  Monster: Building a Great Portfolio, an Interview Game Changer

a career portfolio reflects a person’s occupational aspirations, and, as such, includes a body of evidence that supports the person’s suitability for a career, as well as his or her path.

Work With It: Portfolio - My Career Portfolio and Website

Take a moment to read the following brief article. It details a few of the essential benefits of creating and maintaining a career portfolio, as well as providing some great suggestions for items that you can include in it for this culminating task.

Given what you have learned from the article, what additional items do you think could be added to the already extensive list of items currently housed in your portfolio?

Activity Artifact
Unit 1 Activity 1 Skills, Habits, and Me
Unit 1 Activity 1 My Personal Inventory and Potential Occupations
Unit 1 Activity 2 My Soft Skills Assessment
Unit 1 Activity 2 My Time Management Strategies
Unit 1 Activity 2 My Personal Skills Assessment
Unit 1 Activity 3 Who I Am and the Careers That Interest Me
Unit 1 Activity 4 Requirements for the Careers That Interest Me
Unit 2 Activity 2 Occupations that Interest Me – Information, Requirements, and Trends
Unit 2 Activity 2 Labour Market News and My Selected Career
Unit 2 Activity 4 The Public Sector, the Private Sector, and Me
Unit 2 Activity 8 Choosing a Postsecondary Program
Unit 2 Activity 8 My Postsecondary Budget and Finance Plan
Unit 2 Activity 9 Community Involvement, Leisure Activities, and My Career Aspirations
Unit 2 Activity 9 Establishing My Network and Tapping the Hidden Job Market
Unit 3 Activity 2

Job Application – Posting

Job Application – Résumé

Job Application – Cover Letter
Unit 3 Activity 3 Job Application – Preparing for and Taking Part in an Interview

Sometimes, after creating the above artifacts, you were asked to briefly reflect on the item. Each reflection prompted you to consider a number of important questions to gain greater insight into the significance and usefulness of the item, as well as its potential impact on your goals, decisions, and path.

In this culminating activity, you will continue to develop your career portfolio, building on the body of evidence that showcases who you are, what you have experienced and achieved, and where you want to go.

While you have a good deal of work from this course in your portfolio, what’s missing are the items that speak to your accomplishments beyond this course.

Begin by collecting, creating, and compiling digital artifacts that document your education, your participation, and experience (at work, home, and in the community), contributions, achievements, accomplishments, qualities, skills, interests, and so on. Remember, as this is a career portfolio, the items you select must have some relevance to your employability or to your career goals or path. The following list will help you to think about areas you may want to address. When doing so, consider as well, how you might document or provide evidence of these through the items you collect or create:

This is an image of two young adults seated on cushioned seats on opposite sides of a very small table. One is holding a pad of paper and a pen in his lap, while the other has her hands on a laptop that sits atop the desk between the two. Smiling, she demonstrates her online portfolio to the gentleman who looks onward with an intrigued look.

A résumé proves nothing. It only makes claims. Your career portfolio is the presentation tool that will help you validate your job performances and résumé claims.
Rick Nelles
President of Career Directions, Author of “Proof of Performance: How to Build a Career Portfolio to Land a Great New Job,”

  • employment (positions, duties, responsibilities, achievements, successes, recognitions, accolades, etc.);
  • certifications;
  • school activities;
  • school events;
  • school clubs or groups;
  • school teams;
  • school work/projects/assessments;
  • other self-assessments/skills inventories/aptitude tests previously completed;
  • other education, training, or career research previously conducted;
  • report cards;
  • diplomas;
  • community activities/experiences;
  • community events;
  • community clubs or groups;
  • community teams;
  • special skills/interests;
  • awards/recognitions;
  • programs/agendas/news items/notes/messages validating participation, contributions, successes, etc.;
  • letters of recommendation;
  • social media pages (career-related, not personal); or
  • any other useful information/artifacts.

As your items need to be digital, make use of a scanner, digital camera, digital video camera, digital audio recorder, downloads, screenshots, or other program/device, wherever required.

Add each item to your Portfolio and, for at least five (5) of the items, include a reflection.

Consolidation

Congratulations on creating a career portfolio and a professional website that would rival those of the most adept career seekers.

Time to pause for a moment and reflect on the significance of this commendable achievement…

Work With It: Reflection - Reflecting on the Learning I Gained Through the Portfolio Process

Write a reflection, naming it “Reflecting on the Learning I Gained Through the Portfolio Process.”

Focus your reflection on the learning, insights, and discoveries you gained during the process of creating, collecting, and collating the items for your portfolio and the production of your professional website. Reflection, as you know, is a very personal experience.  In a reflection, you are able to focus on whatever aspects are most meaningful to you. To prompt your thinking, below are some possible questions that you may wish to explore. You may choose to use some of these, or variations thereof, or take your thinking in other directions. Keep in mind though, that the focus is to think about your learning for the purpose of gaining greater understanding and appreciation.

This is an image of the front of a person’s dark grey T-shirt. A half-filled green status bar (like one would see on a computer) is printed on the shirt as well as white lettering that reads ‘Thinking dot dot dot, please wait.’

Thinking about and reflecting on your learning is an essential part of the process. Not only does it promote deeper understanding but it also incites reasoned actions and change.

  • What were your most significant insights, learnings, and discoveries throughout this process?

  • How is what you have gained during this process personally meaningful, given your current situation / circumstances or those you foresee in your future?

  • What aspects of the process were to most valuable to you personally or had the greatest influence or benefit?

  • What did you learn about yourself through the process?

  • How has the process changed or impacted you?

  • How has the process influenced your career path?

  • What new goals have arisen as a result of your participation in this process?

  • What actions will result from your participation in this process that may not have arisen otherwise?

  • What advice can you offer to others as a result of your experiences and learning throughout this process?

 

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